allume

Allume is a term in French that derives from the verb allumer, meaning to light or to turn on. In everyday use, allume appears as a verb form in the present tense: je allume, tu allumes, il/elle allume, nous allumons, vous allumez, ils/elles allument. The imperative forms are Allume! (informal singular) and Allumez! (formal/plural), used to command someone to light or switch on something. For example, Allume la lampe or Allumez la télévision.

Beyond its verb form, allume also occurs as a root in compound nouns related to ignition or lighting. The most common examples are allume-feu, meaning a firestarter, and allume-cigare, meaning a car cigarette lighter. In modern French, allume is rarely used as an independent noun; its clearest function is as part of these compound terms or in older or more specialized texts.

Phonology and usage notes: allume is pronounced roughly as a-lym in French. The word is widely understood in its verb sense across Francophone regions and appears in instructional materials, manuals, and everyday speech about lighting, ignition, or activating devices.

See also: allumer, allumage, allume-feu, allume-cigare, briquet.